


Road Trip

by TheGreatCatsby



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Oisuga Weekend, University, oisuga, short road trip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 07:58:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6648991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatCatsby/pseuds/TheGreatCatsby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa needs a ride back home for the holidays.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Road Trip

**Author's Note:**

> For day 3 of Oisuga Weekend, prompt Venus: passion, duality, and beauty. Again I took this not quite so literally, and most of it has to do with duality. I hope you enjoy!

Posted by Oikawa Tooru at 1:30PM to Second Years!!!   
“Anyone headed to Miyagi prefecture for the break? Lots of luggage and can't take the train, so I would appreciate tagging along! Will buy you coffee/gas! Message me if you can! :D” 

Oikawa didn't think it was a lot to ask. Tokyo to Sendai was about three hours. Oikawa didn't need to be driven straight to his house, just within a reasonable vicinity for his mom to pick him up. She didn't enjoy driving long distances and his father was always busy, so they couldn't come get him from Tokyo. And, Oikawa didn't like driving with his father. Already, when his father heard that he wouldn't be taking the train, he berated Oikawa for having too many things. If Oikawa was being honest with himself, he was glad that his father would be working for most of the break. 

Still, two days went by without messages. Oikawa didn't expect his inbox to be flooded, but he thought that at least five or six messages would appear. There were plenty of people from Miyagi going to school in Tokyo. But two days went by and he didn't have any plans, and he was starting to get anxious. 

Then, after a long study session for his last final exam of the semester, a message notifcation caught his attention. He clicked it. 

Sugawara Koushi  
I can drive you if you want! We live pretty close together! (I'm #2 from the Karasuno volleyball team, remember?) 

Oikawa did remember, although he hadn't known Sugawara's name. He only knew him as Karasuno's other setter, Mr. Refreshing. 

A ride with someone like Mr. Refreshing sounded like fun. It was better than spending three hours in the car with a complete stranger. 

He accepted Sugawara's offer. 

* 

As Oikawa lugged his two suitcases and large sports bag out onto the curb, he noticed that the cold air had turned bitingly frigid. It was windy and the sky had taken on a steely color. 

Sugawara leaned against his small car. It looked used, run down. The trunk had been popped open. When he saw Oikawa, he rushed forward and grabbed one of the suitcases. 

“Thanks,” Oikawa said, and together they managed to fit all of Oikawa's stuff in the trunk. Sugawara closed it, and headed around to get in the driver's side. Oikawa took the passenger seat, and as he twisted around to buckle his seatbelt, he saw that Sugawara had a small bag sitting in the back. 

“If you stop at a place on the way out of the city I'll get you coffee,” Oikawa said. 

Sugawara started the car and pulled out onto the road. “It looks like it's going to snow today.” 

'Hopefully not until after we get home,” Oikawa said. 

“So, why do you have so many things to take home anyway?” Sugawara asked. 

“I'm moving into a new apartment next semester,” Oikawa said. “A bigger place. It'll be nice. How come you don't have a lot of things?” 

“I'm not spending a lot of time at home,” Sugawara said. “I need to come back and start work for the next semester.” 

“What're you studying?” 

“Biology. To go into medicine.” Sugawara glanced at Oikawa briefly before looking back at the road. “And you?” 

“Marketing! Apparently I have a knack for knowing what other people want.” He grinned the sort of grin that Iwaizumi smacked him for because it was disgustingly charming and entirely fake. Sugawara glanced at him again, then raised his eyebrows as he turned back to the road. 

“Well, you were good at reading people on the court,” he said. 

“I am good at reading people on the court,” Oikawa said. “I still play on my university's team. Do you?” 

Sugawara laughed. It wasn't bitter, just amused. “Of course not! I didn't play nearly enough to get scouted, and I think I would die being surrounded by so many incredibly talented people. That level of volleyball is scary!” 

“It can be, at first,” Oikawa said, sucking in a breath. He was surprised he'd mentioned it. He'd only ever admitted his fear once, to Iwaizumi, during the first week of practice on the new team. Oikawa had been terrified of messing up, of not being able to prove that he had earned a place on the team. It was like being a first year in high school all over again, but the stakes were higher. 

Maybe it was Sugawara's honesty that had him opening up. Or maybe it was because Sugawara wasn't his rival anymore. 

Sugawara seemed surprised as well. “I didn't know that the Grand King got scared.” 

“I didn't give myself that nickname,” Oikawa scoffed. “But for the record, I don't get scared. Not anymore.” A bit of a lie. There was always the underlying fear that he'd stop doing well, that he'd let down his team. But Sugawara hadn't known that when they played each other in high school and he didn't need to know it now. 

Sugawara pulled into the parking lot of a cafe and fished around for his wallet. Oikawa placed a hand on his arm. Sugawara glanced up at him, surprised. 

“I told you I'd take care of it,” Oikawa said. “After all, you're driving me.” 

“I'm going that way anyway,” Sugawara pointed out. “Let me pay for my coffee.” 

“I insist,” Oikawa said. 

“I insist more.” Sugawara grinned, pushing Oikawa's hand aside. Oikawa grabbed his wrist just as Sugawara's hand closed around the wallet. Sugawara looked up at him, eyebrows raised, still half-grinning. 

Oikawa placed his other hand over the wallet, fingers interlacing with Sugawara's. “We're wasting time,” he said. 

“I'm not in a rush,” Sugawara said. 

Oikawa plucked the wallet from Sugawara's hand, released his arm. “Well you can't pay me if you don't have your wallet!”

“Hey!” Sugawara lunged forward, but Oikawa opened the door and hopped out of the car, slamming the door shut behind him. He could see Sugawara's shocked face through the window, and he gave a little wave before sauntering into the coffee shop. 

He came back with two large vanilla lattes, because they'd probably need that much coffee. As he got back into the car, flurries started to fall. Sugawara took his coffee and then reached out for his wallet, but Oikawa shook his head. 

“Not until I leave. I won't stand for this paying me nonsense.” 

Sugawara narrowed his eyes and took a sip of the coffee. “How did you know I like vanilla lattes?” 

Oikawa shrugged. “It's a pretty safe bet. You seem like you would.” 

“Thank you,” Sugawara said. He took another sip and then set the drink down in the cup holder. They pulled out of the parking lot and back onto the road. A few minutes later they were on the highway. 

Oikawa sipped his own coffee, enjoying the warmth. Sugawara's heating was weak, so there was a bit of a chill inside the car. Outside, the flurries had turned into fat snowflakes, falling at a leisurely pace. Not enough to accumulate on the ground, just enough to look pretty. 

“The radio doesn't work,” Sugawara said after a few minutes. “Unfortunately.” 

“That's okay.” Oikawa liked music, and he found sitting in silence with someone else infuriating unless it was Iwaizumi. But with Sugawara, he didn't mind so much. It felt comfortable. Maybe because Sugawara was concentrating on the road. Oikawa glanced at the speedometer, watched the needle climb higher. He grinned to himself as it crept over the speed limit and Sugawara began weaving in and out of lanes, passing slower cars. Mr. Refreshing was a bit of a speed demon. 

Oikawa watched him as he drove. Right now, he was just as close as he'd been to Sugawara on the court back in high school the few times Sugawara had played, but this time he could actually concentrate on Sugawara. 

He looked like he belonged with the snowflakes and the grey sky, not because he was cold but because he was light. Pale skin, ash-blond hair, that mole high on his cheek, a tiredness under his eyes likely from late nights studying. His eyes reflected the road ahead, his mouth set in a thin line, edges slightly quirked up, perhaps because he knew Oikawa was watching him. He drove with confidence even if he was going a bit too fast. Oikawa had always found Sugawara to be a person who inspired confidence. Even if Sugawara was disregarding the speed limit, Oikawa felt safe being in the car with him. 

The snow started falling harder in big fat flakes. Sugawara started the windshield wipers and slowed down, and soon they were going at a crawl. The other cars on the highway had slowed down too. Snow was starting to accumulate on the highway, and Oikawa could feel it crunching under the car wheels, changing the way the car felt on the road. It felt more tense, driving like this. Sugawara's hands gripped the wheel tighter, and his tongue stuck out between his lips as he practically glared at the road. 

“I definitely need to pay you for gas,” Oikawa said. 

“This is too slow,” Sugawara huffed. “I thought we could get home before the storm.” 

“Maybe it'll let up,” Oikawa said, taking another sip of his coffee. 

It didn't. The snow fell harder, until they could hardly see the car directly in front of them, and the only reason they saw it was because each car had turned its lights on. Sugawara was practically gulping his coffee now, and Oikawa saw that his hands were shaking. 

“Are you okay?” 

“I'm fine,” Sugawara said. 

“Okay.” Oikawa didn't sound convinced. 

Sugawara gave a nervous laugh. “Well, I've never driven in a snow storm before. And you're in the car. I don't want to crash.” 

“You won't crash.” 

“Or get stuck.” 

“Traffic is still moving.” 

“But the snow is getting deeper.” 

That was true. Now Oikawa could definitely feel how the car struggled to move forward and gain traction on the snow completely coating the road. Maybe it had been salted before the storm started, but the snow was falling too hard for the salt to have any effect. There were too many cars on the road for plows to be able to do their job. 

“Do you want to pull over?” Oikawa asked. “I mean, I'm not in a rush.” 

“I do, but I don't think we'll be able to get moving again if I stop the car,” Sugawara said. “The snow is accumulating too fast.” He bit his lip. “I shouldn't have done this. I should've checked the forecast, or left earlier, or told you to wait until tomorrow-” 

“Hey.” Oikawa placed his hand on Sugawara's arm. Sugawara glanced at him, eyes wide, and then back to the road. “It's okay. I don't mind, really. At least you're not some total stranger.” 

“No, but I-” 

“Look, Suga-chan,” Oikawa took a deep breath, “Iwa-chan—um, Iwaizumi—always tells me when I get like this to concentrate on the task ahead and not on what I could have done differently or what could go wrong. Like, right now you have control of the car, so just make sure you keep moving forward. I don't know if that helps here. It helps in volleyball.” 

“Daichi would tell me not to overthink,” Sugawara said, taking a shaky breath. 

“I'm not afraid,” Oikawa added, and Sugawara looked startled. “I mean, I trust you driving.” 

“Thanks.” 

“If it helps,” Oikawa said, “since we don't have music to distract us, we can talk.” 

“Okay. I like that.” 

Oikawa still had his hand on Sugawara's arm. His cheeks went warm when he realized it, and he took his hand off. 

“Actually,” Sugawara said, soft, “you don't have to if you don't want to but, I like that? Since I can't really look at you I...it's nice. You don't have to, though, if you don't want to. I mean it's just because it feels like something solid and I don't know, I-” 

“It's fine.” Oikawa placed his hand back on Sugawara's arm, gently. “What do you want to talk about? Volleyball? How is my dear Tobio-chan?” 

Sugawara laughed out loud, a lot less nervous this time. “Are you asking because you actually care or because you're hoping he's not doing well?” 

“Suga-chan, how rude!” Oikawa placed his other hand over his heart. “I have nothing but good will towards my Tobio-chan!” 

“Then you'll be happy to hear that he and Hinata have evolved their quick attack, and that Kageyama has gained the trust of the other team members and has learned to read them better,” Sugawara said. “He's actually pulling the team together on the court now. Even Tsukishima.” 

“Glasses-kun?” 

“Yes, Glasses-kun. Karasuno are champions again. I think he'll definitely get a volleyball scholarship to some top university teams. Maybe even yours.” 

“Ah, so he'd be my kouhai again,” Oikawa grimaced. 

“Would that be so bad?” Sugawara asked. 

Oikawa shrugged. “Only if he didn't take my spot.” 

“He'd want to earn it,” Sugawara said. “He'd want to learn from you.” 

“I suppose.” Oikawa picked up his coffee again and took another sip. The drink had gotten cold. “Do you mind not playing anymore?” 

“I liked fighting alongside my friends,” Sugawara said, “but I was satisfied by how things ended. So I'm fine not playing. I can focus on trying to get the career I want.” 

“A doctor,” Oikawa said. 

“A doctor,” Sugawara agreed. “Helping people, but also a lot of problem solving and analyzing. I like that sort of thing. Even though the classes have been really difficult.” 

“Much harder than my marketing classes, I'm sure,” Oikawa said. 

“But I don't have an extra-curricular activity, so I have a lot of time to study and things like that,” Sugawara said. “Sometimes I feel like it shouldn't be that hard. There are a lot of really smart people in my program who seem to have a handle on everything.” 

“And you don't?” 

Sugawara bit his lip. “I don't know. Even with all the time I have, sometimes I feel like I don't. Like I'm not smart enough.” He coughed. “But that doesn't matter. I just have to do the work, right?” 

“Right.” Oikawa took another sip of coffee. 

“Are you thinking of playing professionally?” Sugawara asked. 

“I'd like to,” Oikawa said, but he frowned. “My dad doesn't think it's a good idea to set my sights on that. He thinks I should've majored in finance or something, like a smart person. Putting all my effort into volleyball is stupid. He doesn't think I can make it, and maybe he's right.” 

“I've seen you play,” Sugawara said. “You scare me when you're on the court. So he's wrong.” 

Oikawa laughed. “He wouldn't think so. We argue about it a lot, but he's an argumentative person. He argues about a lot of things with me.” 

“I'm sorry,” Sugawara said. 

“It's fine. My mom's supportive with whatever I want to do. Maybe I won't become a professional volleyball player.” Oikawa grinned, fierce. “But right now, I'm one of the top players on my team and we've been consistently winning our games. Iwa-chan told me that I need to know what I do well and know what I need to work on and be honest with myself, and I have been. I know I'm a good player, and a great setter, and I know I can't fight alone. I think I can do this. It's not just a dream anymore. I think I can really play volleyball for a living.” 

He glanced over, suddenly self-conscious, but Sugawara was smiling, an actual bright, wide smile. 

“I believe you can, too,” he said. “I'd love to see you play again.” 

“You should come to one of my games,” Oikawa said, softly. 

Sugawara nodded. “I think I will.” 

Oikawa glanced out the window, at the other cars trudging through the snow alongside theirs. Then he looked at the time and startled. They'd been in the car for nearly three hours and were barely halfway to their destination. 

“I'm sorry it's taking so long,” Sugawara said. 

“It's fine.” Oikawa leaned back. “I mean, it's probably not relaxing for you but I'm relaxed, actually.” 

Sugawara laughed. “At least one of us is!” 

“So, how long are you home for?” 

“Well,” Sugawara sighed. Oikawa glanced at him, saw that his smile had disappeared. His shoulders fell. “I wasn't going to go home.” 

“Huh?” 

Sugawara's cheeks turned pink. “I saw your message on the Facebook group and was surprised because I didn't know you went to my school and I thought it would be good to drive up with someone, but before that I wasn't going home.” 

“You're going home just for me?” Oikawa stared at him. “Now I definitely have to pay for your gas! And maybe another coffee!” 

“No! It's fine! I wanted to do this,” Sugawara said quickly. “Because, I've been finding it really lonely at school because everyone is so busy and I'm so busy studying all the time, and we all have different schedules. Daichi plays for the volleyball team at his school so I hardly see him, and I felt like I wasn't doing well enough in my program, and I wasn't going to go home because I thought I would get really...I don't know...worked up about taking a break from all the work I have to do.” 

“Everyone needs breaks,” Oikawa said. “One time I overworked myself into an injury, and now if I don't take proper breaks Iwa-chan scolds me.” 

“Scolds you?” Sugawara's lips twitched. 

“His scolding is scary,” Oikawa said. “You should see his scolding face. It makes me want to run for the hills.” 

“That's impressive,” Sugawara laughed. 

“So you offered to drive me home because you...were lonely?” 

“And too wrapped up in thinking about my school work,” Sugawara said. “I thought it would be good to get out of my own head and have some company.” 

“So you chose me? Your formal rival?” 

“You gave me an opportunity.” Sugawara offered him a small smile. “And you're not bad company.” 

“'Not bad company'? So you're saying I'm not good company?” 

“Don't put words in my mouth.” 

“Am I good company?” Oikawa asked, his heart starting to beat a little faster. 

“Well, I didn't expect to get stuck in a snow storm with you.” 

“Suga-chan!” 

“You are,” Sugawara said. “You are good company.” 

* 

The snow eventually let up (or they drove out of the storm) and Sugawara was able to drive faster. They reached Oikawa's house just before nightfall, pulling up to the side of the road. Sugawara helped Oikawa get his bags out of the car and they stood in the chilly air in the snow coating Oikawa's driveway. 

“You should come in for some dinner,” Oikawa said. “It was a long drive.” 

“I'm fine,” Sugawara said. “My mom will worry if I don't get home soon. She's been texting me non-stop.” 

“Well then,” Oikawa took a deep breath, “let me take you out for coffee before you go back?” 

“We go to the same school. Are you asking me on a date?” Sugawara asked, grinning. 

“I'm thanking you for the ride,” Oikawa said. Sugawara raised his eyebrows, so he added quickly, “and probably asking you on a date.” 

“Let me pay this time,” Sugawara said. “I saw you put something in my wallet before we stopped.” 

Oikawa rolled his eyes. “Fine. If you insist, I guess I'll have to let you pay.” 

“Good.” Sugawara held out his hand. Oikawa shook it, and Sugawara laughed. “I was asking for my wallet, but it was nice doing business with you, too, Oikawa-san.” 

Oikawa's cheeks went red as Sugawara giggled. He fumbled in his pocket for the wallet and handed it over. Sugawara took it and pocketed it. 

“Have a good holiday,” he said. 

“You too,” Oikawa said, and before he could think too hard about what he was doing, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Sugawara. 

Sugawara leaned into the hug, and for a moment Oikawa could feel how well they fit together. Sugawara felt comfortable in his arms, warm in the cold winter air, and Oikawa rested his cheek against Sugawara's soft hair. Sugawara was the sort of person that Oikawa could tell he'd be thinking about long after they parted ways. 

But they didn't have to part ways for long. 

He smiled into Sugawara's hair, gave him a light kiss. Maybe Sugawara felt it, maybe he didn't. Maybe he just thought Oikawa was nudging his hair. But they pulled away and Sugawara gave him a smile that could melt the snow, and Oikawa smiled back, genuine and just as warm. 

“I'll see you soon,” Sugawara said, and then he was gone, car pulling down the road and disappearing into the dark. 

Oikawa watched him go, feeling at ease, content. And he was thankful that it had snowed, that they'd driven through a storm and come out the other side knowing each other better. 

He wondered how long it would take for Sugawara to find the note he had snuck into Sugawara's wallet with his number and a message: “Thanks for the ride, Kou-chan! I can't wait to see you again! ~Tooru.” 

The thought made Oikawa smile as he took his bags inside.


End file.
